


Undertale: Shadows on the Surface

by BigSaij



Series: Undertale: Double Trouble AU [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ensemble Cast, Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you.", Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Undertale Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-13 01:36:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20574305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigSaij/pseuds/BigSaij
Summary: After choosing to stay with Toriel, Frisk, and Chara and saying goodbye to his brother, Sammy and the gang must navigate humanity on the surface with only their wits and Matthew's final gift. However, things start turning south, starting with the appearance of a shadow man. Can they trust him? If they want to keep their happy ending, they will have to make tough choices... or risk losing everything.This is the sequel to Undertale: Double Trouble, which I highly suggest you read before starting on this. It has many plot points which come into effect in the story.





	1. Surface and Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sammy and the gang make first contact with humans, finding new possible allies... against unforeseen enemies that lurk among them.

"Matthew's notebook on how to integrate Monsterkind into the surface. Very formal, isn't it?"

"Sounds like your brother," Chara agreed.

It had been a few hours since Matthew had left. The main group of monsters had set up camp in the middle of the forest until the ambassadors got things settled with the nearby town. It turned out that the skyscrapers they had seen earlier were much farther away then they had thought, however there was a sizable town next to the ocean nearby. Chara, Frisk, and Sammy had decided to take a look at Matthew's notebook before introducing themselves to the local populace.

"Step one:" Sammy read aloud, "To introduce monsters to humans, I suggest a small party consisting mostly of us. Bring along a small, non-threatening monster to prove that they exist. If I was able to save Asriel," Sammy looked up at the young goat prince who fingered his new necklace, "you should take him along. Otherwise, someone like Monster Kid should do just fine."

After making sure everyone understood, he continued. "Once you meet the local leaders, make your demands. Total equality is what you should aim for, but start small. Just making sure they are accepted into society is a good step. Keep the news contained; the less people that know that don't need to know, the better. Don't talk to important people unless you have the support of the people under them. Good luck."

Under the writing was a small picture of Asriel and Matthew, holding hands. It really gave Sammy the feels.

"Aw, that's so cute." Frisk had peeked over Sammy's shoulder.

"So, that's the plan." Sammy closed the notebook and put it in his right pant pocket. "C'mon, I think the town is this way."

As they walked through the forest, Sammy motioned for Asriel to follow them. He quickly caught up to them.

"Hey, Sammy. What do you need me for?"

"Well, other then the fact that you're the Prince of the Underground? We need a cute-" Sammy ruffled up Asriel's head fur, earning a small smile from him, "monster to show off to the humans. Just making sure that you guys mean no harm."

"Well, I guess I look less intimidating then last time. I'll do it!" Sammy remembered now that Asriel had done this before with Chara. He hoped things went differently this time.

They walked through the green forestry, with oak trees towering over them. Grass grew at their feet, leaving little step marks as they walked down a small hill. It soon opened into a small park. They could see a baseball field with little kids playing in the grass, and a playground where parents watched their children socialize. A single road of concrete led off through the trees that surrounded the whole area.

"Well," Frisk started, "this seems like a good place to ask someone where to go."

"Let's start with the younger ages. They tend to keep secrets better then adults do."

Chara's advice seemed sound, so they walked over to a young teenager who looked about 16. He was leaning against a wall, watching kids play soccer.

"Excuse me, sir. We're new around here, and need directions. Can you help us?"

The human looked down at them. He was pretty tall. "Sure dude. What can I do for you?"

Chara stepped forward. "We're looking for whoever is in charge of this city. Do you know where we can find them?" they asked in their sweetest voice.

"Well, there's the mayor here, but she can't do anything without the support of the city council. They are usually found in the government center next to the river." He looked at them up and down. "Y'know, they only talk to people about really important issues. Why do you need to go there?"

They looked at each other, then nodded. "Azzy, you can come out now," Chara called.

The small goat peered from behind the stone wall, slowly walking forward. The human's jaw dropped.

"Howdy! I'm Asriel. Asriel Dreemurr." The boy's expression was priceless. Then it changed into something else. A look of Determination.

"Follow me," he said simply. The teen lead them to a small white car. "You," he said pointing at Chara, "get in the front seat. Everyone else, get in the back."

"They all obliged, a bit scared about what would happen if they didn't. The seats inside were nice and plushy.

The boy stepped on the gas pedal, and they drove off on the road, heading downhill towards the town.

"So, how long ago did you escape the mountain?" he asked, his eyes still on the road.

"Oh, about a couple of hours ago. Why?" Sammy ignored the frantic shaking of Chara's head.

"Good, that means that word probably hasn't gotten out yet." He turned to shake Asriel's hand. "I'm Daniel, the current watcher of Mt. Ebott."

Asriel reached out his paw and shook it. "The watcher?" he asked.

"Yes," Daniel answered as then turned down a large hill towards the river. Businesses flew by through the windows. "And so was my father, and his father, and his. Our job was to keep watch over Mt. Ebott until the monsters finally emerged from the surface."

"You are now the city of Ebott. It in is a nation called Canada. Most people don't believe in monsters anymore; they've been dismissed as nothing more then fairy tales."

He parked the car in front of a large stone building. It was very intimidating.

Daniels threw a hoodie at Asriel. "Here, wear this while you're in there. The less people that know what you are, the better."

He got back into the car and pulled out. "Hey, where are you going?"

He rolled down the window. "My job here is done. I've explained the basics and delivered you to the local leaders. I can live out the rest of my life in peace. However, if you ever need me..." he winked, "I'll probably be close by." He drove off.

"Well," said Sammy as they looked up at the concrete pillars, "are we ready to do this?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," said Frisk.

They entered the building, the glass doors shutting behind them.

\---

They walked through the endless marble hallways and linoleum floors, looking very out of place as children in a building full of adults. After asking a few important looking people, they found the mayor's room on the third floor. Opening the door, they saw her hard at work, writing papers.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Frisk always was the most polite of them.

The mayor put down her pen. She smiled up at them through her golden rimed glasses and long brown hair. "And how can I help you kids?" she asked.

"We're the ambassadors from the Underground, sent by the King of all Monsters."

The reaction was just about what Sammy expected. She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" she asked like it was a joke.

Sammy snapped his fingers. He was trying to go for something dramatic, so he was a little disappointed when Asriel didn't get the message. "Asriel, take off your hood," Sammy hissed out.

"Oh, right." He pulled back the hoodie. The mayor didn't seem impressed.

"Nice costume. It looks very realistic!" Sammy sighed. He snapped his fingers again.

This time, Asriel understood. Using magic, he produced a ball of fire in his hands. The amulet shined a little brighter.

Now the mayor was shocked. She put her hands to her mouth. "You're serious, aren't you?" she asked with wide eyes.

The three nodded. She quickly picked up the phone on her desk and called a speed dial. "Yes, this is Ms. Finn. Call a meeting of the council for tonight. It's a level 5 emergency. Yes, you heard me right. Make sure everyone's there. This is closed doors."

She hung up. Standing to walk around her dark oak desk, the mayor shook each of their hands. "I'm Jenny Finn, the mayor of Ebott, but you can call me Jen."

"So, what was that all about?" Sammy asked.

"That was to get all the councilmen together. The introduction of a whole new species to us is very important, along with this... magic he did. We'll need all of you here at seven thirty. Don't be late."

"Well," Chara said hesitantly, "thanks for listening to us."

"It was my pleasure. Doing these types of things is my job. Now please, I have paperwork to do, and I'd rather not bore you with it."

\---

Outside, the whole group was surprised to find Sans leaning on a pillar outside. He was balancing a bone on his finger.

"heya. it's nice to see you guys, i was starting to get bone-ly." Asriel groaned.

Chara, however, looked very suspicious. "How did you find us?" they asked carefully.

He pointed to Asriel's necklace. "you can thank your old pal Matthew, he was the one who gave me the idea. i can track that amulet using my magic senses and use my 'shortcuts' to get to it."

"Well, if you're already here..." Sammy considered his options. "Can you teleport us back to camp? We need to talk with the king and queen."

"sure thing. i'd suggest that you all hold on to someone, though." They all joined together in a circle. "ready?"

Sammy felt like he was falling backwards. But he never hit the ground. Instead, he just kept falling until he was standing again back in the forest, along with everyone else.

Looking around, he saw that Chara and Asriel were also looking a bit disoriented, but Frisk and Sans looked just fine. _Of course, they've had practice doing this,_ Sammy thought.

"king fluffybuns is right over there." Sans pointed to where Toriel and Asgore were standing. "have fun, i'm going to make sure Papyrus isn't in any trouble."

They walked over to the king and queen, who were refusing to look at each other.

"King Asgore," Sammy said while giving a little bow, "Queen Toriel."

"My child, it's fine to just call me Toriel. We aren't really monarchs anymore."

"Alright." Sammy was a little embarrassed. He lost his train of thought for a moment, so Asriel started.

"Dad, we met the mayor of Ebott! She was super nice and told us to come back later!"

"Oh, really?" Asgore looked at Sammy. "So everything turned out alright?"

"Yeah, she arranged a meeting tonight with all the leaders. We're supposed to be there at around seven thirty." He checked the sun. "So I'd guess that we have about four hours left."

"Well, if you have the spare time, do you mind checking in with everyone? I want to know how everyone is handling the surface."

Sammy shrugged. "Sure, why not."

They walked over to where Papyrus and Sans were, near Snowdin Camp. As they approached, they saw Papyrus yelling at Sans about one of his puns.

"So, Papyrus. How is everything going?" Frisk was taking this one.

"EXCELLENT, HUMAN! THE SURFACE IS SO MUCH DIFFERENT THEN THE UNDERGROUND, WITH THIS 'SUN' AND SKY! HOWEVER..." Papyrus paused, unsure on how to continue. "SOME MONSTERS ARE WONDERING WHY WE CAN'T ALL JUST GO INTRODUCE OURSELVES RIGHT NOW!"

"Well, Papyrus," Frisk answered before Sammy could, "humans haven't seen monsters in a long time. Seeing things like how awesome you are would surprise them, and we don't want them too surprised, do we?"

"OF COURSE NOT, HUMAN! I UNDERSTAND THAT MY AWESOMENESS IS TOO MUCH FOR PEOPLE SOMETIMES! WE CAN WAIT UNTIL THE HUMANS ARE READY."

"Great, Papyrus. You're being really helpful."

Next was Waterfall and Hotland, who had merged into one camp because Undyne and Alphys was a thing. The group found Alphys fiddling with some kind of small machine, while Undyne was leaning against a tree.

"So, how are things going with you guys?" Sammy was handling this one.

"Well, most of our monsters are doing just fine. What me and Undyne want, though, is to see more anime! Did you happen to see any down there?"

"No, but across the big ocean there's a bunch of islands that watch nothing but anime. We'll make sure you can get over there sometime. By the way, where's Mettaton?"

"The drama bot? He went off somewhere saying something about practicing for his big performance. Don't worry, I watched him leave. He didn't go anywhere with humans."

"Thanks, Undyne."

As they walked back, Sammy noticed that the sun's position hadn't really changed. "Y'know, guys. We still have a lot of time to burn, so any ideas on how to spend it?"

Asriel started to suppress a smirk. He sneaked up behind Chara.

"Tag, you're it!" Asriel yelled as he tapped Chara on the shoulder and ran away.

Chara first looked a little annoyed, then smiled as they saw Sammy and Frisk standing there.

"We should probably run," Frisk whispered to Sammy.

"Yeah, we should," he agreed.

They took off in different directions, with Chara in hot pursuit.

\---

A cloaked figure was on the cliff side, near the cave that led back into the Underground. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen him appear out of nowhere, like there was some hole in the cliff face he had climbed through. Looking down at the forest below them, the figure saw the three humans and Asriel playing tag among the trees.

Shining eyes stared at all of them for a second, before focusing on the pendant hanging from Asriel. They would have to stay away and remain unseen for a while, of course. But when it was time to reveal themself to the group, they would.

For now, they were content to just watch.


	2. Council Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk and company have to deal with the council, then talk with the monsters and find their new home.

Frisk had no idea how long the game of tag took exactly. Just when things seemed to be winding down, Monster Kid and a few others joined in, reviving the game.

It was a bit funny, watching Monster Kid trying to tag with his head. He often fell on his head, but he got back up so fast that Frisk had to believe that he had practiced it.

"Hey guys, it's getting dark. We should probably get Sans and teleport to the city hall." In Matthew's absence, it seemed that Sammy was trying to fill in his role as the responsible leader.

Finding Sans was easy. He was standing against a nearby tree, being lazy as usual. He waved as he saw them approach.

"hey kids, need a ride?" They nodded. "alright, you know the drill."

After getting in a circle again. Frisk had the familiar feeling of falling backwards. They were used to it by now, though. They had taken Sans' shortcuts many times.

"well, here you are. have fun." And with that, he disappeared.

As they walked the halls of the building yet again, it felt strangely empty. Most of the rooms had the lights off, and the entire facility seemed silent. There were, however, signs that said "City Council Meeting" with an arrow pointing in the right direction. They followed these until they reached a set of dark double doors with a security guard standing in front.

"Identification?" he asked.

"Uh, the mayor asked us to be here?" Frisk hoped that was enough.

The guard opened the doors a bit and yelled, "Ms. Finn, there are some children waiting outside!"

A faint "Let them in!" could be heard. The guard fully opened the door for them.

"Thank you," Frisk said politely as they walked into the council room. It was set so that the council was arranged in a semicircle around them, with the mayor at the center. Most of the seats were filled, with only two empty ones.

"Thank you for coming, councilmen," Ms. Finn started. "I called you all here on rapid notice because the issue tonight requires our full attention. This is something that could affect the global stage, and it starts with us."

"What, these kids are going to change the world? They don't seem so special," one of the council said sarcastically.

Frisk nodded at Asriel, who stepped forward taking off his hood. A few people gasped, while others stayed silent.

"This is a monster from Mt. Ebott. I did some research in our archives today, and found some ancient legends buried in our files. Monsters were sealed long ago under the mountain by our ancestors."

"So, now you're believing in fairy tales, Ms. Finn? Those are nothing more but legends, and this is nothing more but a costume." The young councilmen looked slightly irritated.

"May I turn off the lights, Mayor Finn?" She nodded, so Sammy walked over to the light switch on the wall and flipped it. Everything went dark.

"Asriel, do your thing."

A small ball of flame, warm and comforting, burst out of nowhere, illuminating the young goat. The amulet around his neck also shone brightly, the white heart contrasting to his green and yellow sweater.

Frisk could hear a few chair fall over, and Chara's snickering. They were having a good laugh over the expense of the councilmen.

The lights were flipped back on, and the fire was extinguished. The few people still visible were stunned, staring at Asriel.

"Ladies and gentleman," Sammy said with an air of authority, "I present to you the son of Asgore Dreemurr, and the Crown Prince of Monsters, Asriel Dreemurr."

Chara got on one knee, pretending to bow before him. "My prince," they said teasingly.

"Not funny, Chara."

"So, as you can see, this is a very important issue." The mayor looked directly at them. "Ambassadors, would you like to raise any issues?"

"Yes, we would." Frisk took charge now. "There are about two hundred to three hundred monsters camped outside the city, and we would like to integrate them into your city.

"Whoa, whoa!" The younger councilman had gotten up again. "We can't just let all these monsters into our city! There would be panic! Outrage!"

"Oh, so you want them to just walk back into the prison they've been in for who knows how long?" Chara challenged. The air was heating up.

"People, please! I'm sure we can find a solution to this!" The mayor was trying to keep the peace.

Suddenly, another councilmen started arguing with the first. A third backed him up. Soon, the entire room was filled with angry shouts, threats, and anger in general.

Chara looked like they wanted to get involved, but Frisk put a hand on their chest, holding them back. Doing anything now would only hurt their cause.

"If I may," a old man at the end of the semicircle said. Everyone immediately went quiet. Frisk instantly knew that this man, the one with the grey hair and beard, held great importance in this room.

"I do wish that monsters could come back into society, but Councilman Adams has raised great points. The people of Ebott may react in ways we do not wish them to. My idea is to allow a small group of monsters into the city, to allow humans time to adapt to their presence. Once that has been achieved, we can allow the rest to integrate into society."

There were a few grumbles among the table, but no one objected.

"All in favor?" The mayor asked. Most of the councilmen raised their hands.

"Then it's decided." She banged a gavel on the table. Chara looked a little angry, while Asriel looked overjoyed with this outcome. Frisk thought that it wasn't the worst that could've happened.

"Now, to the issue of magic. This type of thing is very mysterious to us. Since monsters seem to know it well, however, I believe that they should be in charge of all matters in magic. Any objections?"

Once again, there were a few grumbles, but no voices. Ms. Finn banged that gavel again.

I believe that is all. Ambassadors, go back to your camp and choose your group to send here. I also recommend that you form some sort of body on the matters of magic. Meeting adjourned."

\---

Outside, it was already dark. Sans was sleeping against a tree in the front yard. Frisk shook him awake.

"huh? oh, hey kids. done already?"

"Yep. We'll tell everyone the details tomorrow, when everyone's awake." Sammy seemed to have it all planned out.

"alright. let's hurry before i get sleepy again, my shortcuts get wonky when i'm tired." A few seconds later they were back at the camp.

"Oh, hey guys!" It was Monster Kid. "We're stargazing right now, want to join?"

"Yes, yes, YES!" Asriel practically flipped in the air onto the green grass, looked up at the stars. Frisk and the others laid next to him.

"It's as beautiful as I imagined." It really was wondrous. There were so many stars, slowly rotating above them. The heavens were sprawled out before them.

"There's so many..." Frisk couldn't imagine what is was like to have never seen a star before, let alone hundreds.

_This is what monsters deserve._ Frisk thought. _They deserve the whole world and beyond._

That was the last thing Frisk remembered before they fell asleep.

\---

"Hey, Frisk, get up! We're telling everyone the news now!"

Frisk could barely see the outline of the white goat through bleary eyes. "Alright, I'm up, I'm up!" they said, stopping Asriel.

Sammy and Chara were already standing up, stretching. Sammy seemed to notice Frisk's tired eyes and helped them up.

"Everyone else got up a long time ago. I think we're so tired because we stayed up late with the meeting and stargazing. Anyway, it's time."

Sammy nodded to Asgore, who was standing a few feet away. He turned to face the crowd of monsters before him.

"And now, our ambassadors would like to give an update on their progress." He stepped aside to allow them to take center stage.

"Monsters!" Sammy cried out, "We have made great strides in our work! The city has chosen to allow monsters into the city!"

This got an enormous cheer from the crowd below. Sammy put out a hand to quiet them.

"However," he continued, "they have also chosen to only allow a select group in the city, to prevent panic among the humans."

There were widespread mumbles through the crowd. One monster, who was just another of many in the audience, yelled "We've been underground for so many years, and now humans are telling us to wait longer?"

This got the monsters into a frenzy. Frisk could tell that it could brew into a fight, or a full on riot. They motioned for Sammy to do something, and fast.

"We want in, now!"

"Let us in!"

"Why should humans decided the fate of monsters?"

"Alright, alright!" Sammy relented. The crowd calmed down a bit, listening.

"I promise, as lead ambassador of the monsters," which got a glare from Chara, "I will not stop until monsters are fully living by humans in harmony, with equal rights, protections, and laws! No monster will ever have to fear being put underground again. But to do this, I need all of you to hold on just a bit longer, until we've proven that we mean no harm. Is that alright?"

The audience assented. "Now, we need to decide on who will represent us in the city! Monsters of the Ruins, who do you want to send?"

This part wasn't something that Frisk was expecting, but it slowly made sense once they saw Matthew's notebook clutched in Sammy's hand. _He really thinks of everything,_ Frisk thought in admiration.

The various monsters that were once living in the Ruins argued for a bit, then said "We send Toriel, the old caretaker and queen as our representative!"

"Understood! Now, Snowdin monsters, who do you choose?"

This continued for a couple of minutes. Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, and Asgore were all chosen, though the Royal Scientist and King of Monsters were more of a ceremonious choice.

"Thank you for your choices. We promise, all of you will soon join them in the city. Until then, please keep your distance. Thank you."

As the monsters dispersed, all the main monsters gathered at the makeshift podium.

"Where's Mettaton?" Frisk asked. He was the only one not here.

"Well, I put a tracker on him, so let's see..." Alphys pulled out some sort of tablet. After tapping it a few times, she gasped.

"Mettaton's... he's traveling south! And unbelievably fast! He's reaching speeds of 550 miles per hour! What could possibly go that fast?"

"Airplanes..." Sammy muttered. "Alright, so with Mettaton MIA, we need to move fast. I have a feeling he's not going to stay hidden for long. We need to do as much as possible as fast as possible. Sans!"

The short skeleton appeared behind them. "hey kid, did you need me?"

"Yeah, all of us need teleporting back to the mayor. Can you do that?"

"eh, sure thing. i'll be a lot more tired though, with all these people. should be able to not fall asleep for a while, though. everyone, grab on."

One shortcut later, and they were back in front of the stone building. Most of the monsters looked surprised.

"WOW, BROTHER! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT!"

"what, you think i got this lazy by walking?"

"Ah, you must be the other monsters!" Ms. Finn was walking down the steps from the doors, her high heels clicking against the pavement. "I already have a place all set out for you."

As they followed her down the road, Frisk couldn't help but notice at the humans gawking and pointing at them. They couldn't call them out on it, though, as Papyrus Undyne, and Asriel were doing the same thing.

"Here we are," the mayor said a few minutes later, stopping in front of a large house. "It has two floors and an attic, with many rooms. It even has a yard outside with a garden! This will be your home until you want to move somewhere else."

Toriel turned to shake her hand. "Thank you for your kindness. I wasn't expecting something like this!"

Ms. Finn laughed. "It's my job to take care of all the citizens of Ebott, even the new ones. It was the least I can do."

"Mom, can me and Chara explore the house? Can we?" Asriel was bouncing up and down in excitement. Toriel smiled.

"Of course, Asriel. Why don't you take us all on a tour of it?" Most of the group filed inside the house, with the exception of Frisk, Sammy, and the mayor.

"So, Ms. Finn," Sammy started, "as much as I appreciate your hospitality, I would feel much more comfortable if there was some sort of... law giving monsters the same rights as humans. Right now, even though things have just started, I don't feel completely at ease. There are people out there who wouldn't appreciate these guys as much as you do."

The mayor nodded. "Well, you could try to get something like that through, but I won't be able to help you there. That's something the whole country would have to pass, not a city. If you want to get that through, you'll need a big supporter."

Ms. Finn thought for a second. Then she seemed to have an idea. "Sammy, if you head down south, there's a large city called Vancouver. If you get support there, then you might have a change in getting that law signed. I'll call my cousin to take you there."

She had just started to dial on her phone when a familiar white car rolled up to the curb. "You wanted me?" Daniel asked.

"Ah, you arrived just in time. Frisk, Sammy, this is my cousin, Daniel."

"Yeah, we've met before. So, you need a ride to Vancouver? I'd be happy to take you there." It was at that moment that Chara and Asriel burst outside.

"Azzy, I told you not to try and get nerdy with Alphys!"

"Sorry, Chara. Oh, hello again, Daniel."

"Good timing, guys. We're heading to Vancouver! Hop in."

"Wait, already? But we wanted to explore the house more..."

Sammy sighed. "Asriel, I told you that we have a limited time frame. You can explore the house all you want later, but right now we need to go!"

"Alright, Sammy." They all climbed in. Daniel stepped on the gas, and the car sped off towards the distant skyscrapers.

\---

Papyrus was looking out the window when he saw something strange. Like he always did when he saw something strange, he called his brother.

"SANS! THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE OUTSIDE!"

From another nearby room, Sans yelled "what is it, bro?"

"THERE'S SOME SHADOWY FIGURE GOING INTO THE TRUNK OF FRISK'S CAR! DO WE KNOW THEM?"

At that, Sans immediately ran over to Papyrus. He looked in the window just in time to see the trunk of the car close. Running as fast as he could outside, Sans burst out the door just to see the white car speed off into the distance.

"What is it, skeleton?" The nice lady mayor asked.

All Sans could get out was "oh, no."


	3. Mystery and Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara and co. finally make it to Vancouver, but can they deal with the shadow man, and Vancouver itself?

Chara and the gang were almost into Vancouver when they could hear a faint buzzing going off. "Frisk, your phone's ringing," Chara said.

Frisk pulled out their phone and answered it. They pressed the speaker button.

"kid, why didn't you pick up the first dozen times?" It was Sans, and he seemed agitated.

"Sorry Sans, I had my phone on vibrate. What's going on?"

"kid, i don't mean to _rattle __your bones,_ but i think you have an unwelcome guest in the car."

Sammy leaned over. "What do you mean, Sans?"

"i mean Papyrus and i saw someone get into the trunk before you left. you should probably check that out as soon as possible."

"Sorry, but we can't stop the car until we get to city hall. Unless, that it, you want the attention of the cops." Daniel had been listening after all.

"alright, just make sure you sort it out, alright?" The line went dead.

The rest of the car ride was in silence. Frisk and Asriel still gawked at the impossibly tall skyscrapers that seemed to brush against the clouds, but Chara couldn't get their mind off of their uninvited visitor. They were actually a bit relieved when the car finally parked in a concrete bunker underground.

"Alright, let's see who we're dealing with." Chara hopped out and walked to the trunk. The door was already open.

"Damn it, he's already gone!" Chara caught a flash of movement. They turned just in time to see a dark cloak pass through the doorway to the stairs.

"He's going up the stairs! After him!" Chara ran towards the stairway.

"Chara, wait up!" Frisk and the others struggled to keep up with them.

Chara sprinted up the staircase, after the shadowy figure who was a whole flight above them. Chara was faster, though, and they just turned the corner to see the cloak whoosh through another door. Chara burst through it...

And into the city hall.

It was a bit crowded, with many adults in suits and ties walking around with briefcases. In this situation, though, the sameness worked to Chara's advantage. It was easy to see the robed figure through all the adults, trying to close the doors in the far elevator. Chara was just able to put their foot in before the elevator shut.

"Got you."

As the doors opened again, Chara rushed in, pinning the shadow against the wall. About a minute later, Asriel and the others ran in, out of breath.

"Chara! That was dangerous! You could have gotten hurt!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't Azzy. Now lets unmask this mystery man!"

"I would suggest closing the doors before doing that. Floor 4 is where you want to go." The soft voice came from the cloak behind them. After looking at each other for a bit, Sammy nodded and pushed the button for 4.

As the doors closed, the shadow man continued. "Now, if I was you, I wouldn't take off this hood, for your sake and mine."

Chara laughed. "Our sake? Do you not realize the situation we have you in?"

"No, it is you who does not understand." Something dark and purple shot out from the cloak, punching Chara in the stomach. They stumbled back.

Everyone got out their weapons, with Sammy's Frying Pan, Chara's Worn Dagger, Frisk's Stick, and Asriel's Chaos Saber. The hooded man raised his sleeves in surrender.

"I do not mean to fight you. I only wish to give you aid."

"Ha, like we believe that."

"Oh, really? So tell me, what exactly are your plans in the controlled usage of magic?"

Sammy, against Chara's wishes, pulled out Matthew's notebook. They flipped to somewhere in the middle.

"A magic council," Sammy read aloud, "with one member for each type of soul. Sammy should represent Kindness, and Frisk and Chara should represent Determination. Anyone else, you will need to find on your own." They closed the book.

"Well, may I recommend someone to represent Perseverance?"

"Who, you?" Chara said sarcastically.

"Yes, me." The purple soul shown out of the cloak for a second before retreating back into the depths. Sammy looked on the verge of tears.

"Matthew..." he whispered.

"Matthew? You mean that child in the house?"

"You know him?" Sammy rubbed his chin. "But if you know him, that would mean..."

"Yes, I come from the world beyond. Last I checked, he was sleeping peacefully in his bed. I found these on his desk." He held up a pair of Cloudy Glasses.

Chara made a low growl. "If you did anything to him, I swear..."

"He's fine. I did nothing to him. Now do you trust me?"

"Not one bit." Chara was relieved that Sammy was on the same page. "But, I believe that we can make room on the future council for you... for now."

"But Sammy, we barely know him! Just because he's from the other world doesn't mean we can-"

"Excellent! I'm so glad we could come to an arrangement." The elevator doors opened. "Now, I believe that you have a meeting with some important people?"

As they walked out, the hooded man stayed in the elevator. "I'm going to sort things out with that other fellow. You know, the one with the car. See ya!"

The doors closed behind them. There was only one room visible on this floor. Across the hall, there was a door with a plaque that read "Business Room".

\---

"I'm telling you Matt, this deal just doesn't seem to be profitable!"

They had seemed to walk into some important meeting with important people. Some were looking angry, while others looked bored. All of them, however, had the air of importance.

"Hey, what are you kids doing here?" One of them had noticed them walk in.

"We're here to discuss some business with the city."

"Oh, really?" The businessman raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm sure that our business is more important then yours, so why don't you wait outside?" His smug attitude grated on Chara.

Sammy just folded his arms, which Asriel interpreted as a signal to walk forward, showing off a fireball in one hand, and a magic sword in the other. The few voices that were still talked were silenced.

"Oh." He lost words for a moment. "Please, continue."

Sammy walked forward, enjoying the attention. "This is a monster. There is a large group of them currently camped outside the city of Ebott, north of here." A few men nodded. "We wanted to try and get a bill passed in Canada that guarantees equal rights for monsters, and we were hoping that the city of Vancouver would endorse us."

"Yes, that does seem mighty important." A different man, on the other side of the oval table, leaned in. "But that also would cause us time and money. How exactly does supporting you help us and the city?"

Sammy flinched, obviously unprepared for that question. He pulled out Matthew's notebook, and started reading a page. Chara leaned in to see the scribbles on the page.

_Businessmen, _it read, _only care about what gets them two things. Money, and fame. If you offer them either, they will hang on your every word._

"Well, gentlemen," Sammy continued, looking more confident now, "as you could see, monsters have magic abilities. If they integrate into society, they will get jobs, working in your companies. Just imagine how much more efficient your businesses could run if magic was on your side!" A few men nodded. One mumbled, "You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention."

"Not only that, but we are also creating a 'Magic Council', to oversee all things magic. If you supported us now, it would play a factor in our decision making... who knows? Maybe it'll call Vancouver home?"

"Vancouver: The City of Magic," one said aloud. They looked at each other for a minute, nodding.

"Well, there is a empty room with a round table you could use to meet here... very well, we accept your proposition. The businesses, and the city of Vancouver, will support you and your bill."

"Thank you."

\---

As they traversed the halls of the building back to Daniel, Asriel, Frisk and Sammy were all giving each other high-fives. Chara, however, was silent, thinking about those businessmen.

_All they want is money and power. They don't care about anything or anyone else. This is why I stopped believing in humanity... _Sammy seemed to notice Chara deep in thought.

After they had taken the stairs back down to the garage, Sammy waved Asriel and Frisk on ahead. "Keep going, Chara and I have something to discuss."

_What could he possibly want now?_

"So, Chara. I could tell by the faces back there that you don't particularly like those men, don't you."

"Those people are what I hate most about humanity. Greed, spite, and hate. If I had to stay in there for one more minute..." Chara could feel their eyes glowing brighter.

"Too bad we don't have Matthew to keep you in check, huh?" This got no reaction.

Sammy stumbled on his words for a bit, then found his footing. "Look. I know that you and Matthew had some sort of special relationship, like Asriel."

"Excuse me?" Just what kind of relationship was he talking about?!

"Uh, I mean an agreement? A pact? I don't really know how to describe it, but there was some sort of connection there. I know I can't fill in his place, but I'll try my best."

_He really is an idiot. _Chara didn't have time for things like this. "Let's just get to the car," they said a little colder then they meant. As they walked, Chara could see disappointment in his face, but it wasn't aimed at Chara.

It was aimed at himself.

Chara opened the passenger door to find the hooded man sitting in the front seat. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"You're in my seat."

"Do you want to take it?"

This type of person was someone Chara could respect and hate at the same time. People who took a stand against things and stood their ground was a trait Chara appreciated, but not when it was used against them.

"Chara, just let him have it this time." Frisk, always the negotiator.

After ten seconds of sighing, Chara squeezed in the back with the others. It was a tight fit, and seat belts with four people was out of the question. Chara, though, was on the end next to Asriel, so they were semi-comfortable.

"So, Daniel. You've been helping these people out?"

"Yeah, I first saw them a bit down Mt. Ebott."

The shadow man nodded. Then, he made a sudden grab for Asriel's necklace. Tugging it and Asriel forward, he shoved the pendant next to Daniel.

"What are you-"

Pale blue shards began to fracture from Daniel. They started to condense in front of him, taking the shape of a light blue soul. When it was fully formed, the soul entered his chest, disappearing.

"A soul of Patience." He released Asriel, letting him fall back into his seat. "You'll be excellent for our council."

"Hey, what just happened?" Sammy was looking very confused, and so was Chara.

"Human souls can only take a physical form once they've been exposed to magic," the figure said. "That's why you don't see all the humans running around casting spells."

"So, we're heading back to the monster house?" Daniels asked calmly.

"Aren't you a little more surprised or shocked about this?" Chara asked.

"Of course I am! I'm honored to be able to join your council too, but I've learned to take life one step at a time. I can deal with all of that later."

"Well then," Sammy started, "Yes, we will be going back to the house."

The car sped out of the garage, back towards Ebott. Chara didn't trust this new ally, especially with his air of secrecy. They weren't even completely sure of his loyalty to anything other then himself. One thing was for certain, though. This new interloper would play a big part in whatever happens next.

Whether that was for good or evil, no one could know.


	4. New Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asriel helps find the final soul needed to finish the council, but events show that they may be running out of time. Meanwhile, forces in the shadows work behind the scenes.

A month had passed.

Ebott was starting to feel more and more like a home, not only to Asriel, but also to monsters as a whole. After a few weeks of letting humans adjust, the city started to let more monsters enter. Grillby and Muffet had already set up small businesses which both human and monster customers, Toriel was applying for a teaching license, Asgore was a stay at home dad, Alphys and Undyne had gone off to Vancouver to teach magic at a university, and Sans and Papyrus just hung around town and did whatever they felt like.

The formation of the Magic Council was going along well too. They had Daniel, the soul of Patience, Thomas, a young boy of Bravery, Adams, a young adult who styled himself the 'King of Integrity', Sammy, who was kindness, Frisk and Chara who were both determination, Asriel himself who represented monster magic, and of course the shadow man.

Asriel didn't know what to think of him. He had helped out a lot in tracking down the other council members, and Frisk and Sammy seemed just fine with him. Chara, however, still preferred him to to as little as possible. He seemed nice enough, even cracking jokes at times. But still, Chara was right. There was something off about him, some secret that he didn't want out. Asriel trusted him, though.

The council was currently trying to track down a final member, one of Justice. Multiple papers were strewn about the round table, telling different stories about notable acts of Justice.

"It's no good. All of these are either too far away to track down, or too generic to find. Let's get started on the next pile."

As the hooded man walked over to get another stack of papers, the flat-screen television showed urgent news. It was about the monster rights bill, which was still being debated in parliament.

"And in other news, the equal rights bill is reaching its third week of deadlock. Votes are constantly switching sides as new information about monsters is uncovered. This has also caught the attention of governments internationally, as countries reaffirm their support for and against the bill."

"Everyone's a critic," Asriel could hear Chara mutter.

"There have also been multiple protests against the bill, even in Vancouver. One protest today turned violent, when anti-monster sentiment boiled over. Three humans and seven monsters had to be sent to the hospital. Many have had a limb or two turn to dust."

A few people in the room, including Asriel, gasped. How could people do something like that? Monsters haven't done anything to them!

  
"We spoke to one human at Vancouver General Hospital, who was beaten after trying to stand up for the monsters. This teenage girl, named Samantha, said 'I just couldn't stand by and watch it happen, it was my sense of justice that made me step in.' Turn in for more at eleven."

Sammy turned off the TV, and there was a moment of silence. Then, Sammy started speaking. "I can't believe this."

"This is exactly why we need this bill passed! If it doesn't, things like this will keep happening! It's for the safety of monsters!" Frisk was almost crying, which Asriel understood. They had the closest bond to monsters in general, which was why there were also the most emotional right now.

"It won't do anything," the shadow man said quietly. "Laws won't stop them. The only thing they listen to is force." He stormed out of the room, grabbing Matthew's purple notebook on the way out.

Chara was about to go after him when Asriel put his paw on their shoulder. He had the feeling that Chara wasn't the best person to deal with him right now. Asriel quietly opened the door.

The cloaked figure was sitting on the floor, drawing in the notebook with colored pencils. Asriel sat down next to him.

"Y'know, we need to keep that book legible."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just adding a few notes of my own to it."

"Can I see?" Asriel craned his neck over.

He quickly slammed the notebook shut. "No, you can't."

"Well, if you ever need to vent out some feelings..." Asriel smiled. "Chara's given me some good practice at it."

"Thanks."

Sammy walked out, motioning for Asriel and shadow man to follow.

"We've decided that the girl on TV should be our soul of Justice. Asriel, we'll need your amulet, and Mr. Shadow over here will provide support if needed.

All three of them walked out of the building, where Daniel and his car were waiting in front.

"Vancouver General Hospital," Sammy said as he got in the back with Asriel.

The car sped off, heading downtown.

\---

"Mr. Shadow", as he was now being known, passed Matthew's notebook back to Sammy. "Here, I think it belongs to you more then it does to me."

"Yes, it probably does." Asriel noticed that Sammy was very protective when it came to the notebook. He also constantly reminded Mr. Shadow to take good care of his Cloudy Glasses, which sometimes shone through his hood.

They walked through the glass automatic doors, which opened to a lobby full of busy doctors and nurses, struggling to keep up with the injured monsters. They didn't know how to take care of the new species, and were constantly asking the few monster doctors there on how to treat their patients.

Asriel watched Sammy walk up to the front desk. "We're looking for the patient that was on TV?" he asked the receptionist.

"She's not receiving visitors right now," she answered back tired, but kindly.

"Not even the Head Ambassador and Prince of Monsters?" He gestured to Asriel, who gave a little wave.

"Oh. Well, I think we can make an exception for you." She looked a little flustered. "His majesty can find her at C3, down the hall."

As they started walking, Sammy whispered to Asriel, "Maybe we should start calling you 'Your Majesty'."

"Haha. When I had every soul in the Underground, you didn't exactly give me the respect a god should get either."

"Eh, fair enough."

They had reached door C3. Opening it, they found a teenage girl lying in bed, a cast on her right arm. She gave a little wave with her free hand.

"Come to find the girl on TV?"

"Well, yes, but actually no."

Asriel walked forward on que, holding his amulet close to Samantha. It began to resonate against her trait.

Bright yellow shards began to form out of her skin, collecting into a soul at her chest. Once fully formed, it returned to her heart.

"What was that?"

"That," Sammy explained, "was your soul. Thanks to Asriel's magic, it has now manifested into a physical form, allowing you to use magic. Samantha, we came here because we wanted you to be our final member on the Council of Magic, the soul of Justice."

She sputtered for a bit, lost for words. "Well I- I'm honored, thank you!" She got out of bed, trying not to move her broken arm.

"Don't you need to stay in bed?" Asriel asked, concerned.

"Nah, I'm really only still here because I'm lazy. Besides, if they let you come in, I think the nurses won't argue too much on letting me out, especially with how busy it is right now."

"Great. Our car is right outside, so lets head back to headquarters."

The four of them walked out of the hospital, where Daniel was waiting. Sammy didn't even to say where they were going, because Daniel already knew. They sped off back towards City Hall.

\---

"Everyone, this is Samantha, our final member. Samantha, these are your fellow council members."

As everyone chatted, Sammy came up to the front of the room. "Now, everyone. I think it would be a good idea for everyone to show off their magic." Most people there looked around uncertainly, not knowing what to do. "Now, I have this training dummy right here," he said, pointing at a dummy a few feet behind him, "and I've also brought some focusing items to help you channel your magic. Frisk, how about you go first?"

Frisk got out of their chair, put on the Bandage, grabbed the Stick, and faced the dummy.

"Now, as you can see, Frisk's weapon isn't really meant for fighting." Sammy narrated. "However, Frisk can use it in others ways. Frisk?"

Frisk created a red shield around the Stick, holding it between them and the dummy. Everyone clapped.

"Thank you, Frisk. Daniel, you're up!"

Daniel stood up, taking the Faded Ribbon and Toy Knife off the table. As they held the ribbon, it transformed into a bowtie.

"Huh, I guess the items change based on gender. Neat."

Daniel put on the bowtie, then pointed the knife at the dummy. Light blue strands shot out of the knife, ensnaring the dummy. Daniels recoiled in surprise, and the tendrils disappeared.

"Excellent job, Daniels! Thomas, your turn."

Thomas put on the Manly Bandana and Tough Glove, both of them fitting snugly on him.

"You can't force the magic out. Just try to channel it into whatever it wants to be," Sammy guided.

An even bigger fist, a nice orange color, formed around the glove. He looked at it in wonder, then punched the dummy as hard as he could, making it fly back against the wall. There was a round of applause.

"Well, as you can see, this dummy is a little beaten up now. I think it's my turn." Sammy put on the Stained Apron, held the Frying Pan, and held it at the dummy. Various green items, most of them foods, spewed out of the pan. Rips closed, stuffing was replaced, and dark spots faded.

"I have the power to heal. As the soul of Kindness, that is my magic."

Adams stood, grabbing the Dusty Tutu and Ballet Shoes. They turned into a tuxedo and a pair of dapper black shoes, ones that fit him perfectly.

"Not exactly kingly attire, but I'll take it." Most people in the room rolled their eyes.

Not exactly sure how to use the shoes as a weapon, his hands went into a position like he was holding an invisible staff. As if on que, a dark blue scepter appeared in his hands. In one fluid movement, he pointed it at the dummy, with dark blue shards flying off the head, striking the dummy.

Sammy healed it once again. It was Samantha's turn.

Picking the the Empty Gun and Cowboy hat, she simply pointed it at the dummy and fired. Six bullets of Justice shot through the target. It was the most straightforward performance.

"Well, I saved the best for last. Chara, would you mind showing everyone how sharp your knife is?"

The Worn Dagger red with determination, Chara rushed forward, moving faster then the eye could see. Deep gashes were left all around the dummy. They finished with a sharp slash down the middle, almost cutting it in two.

Chara turned and gave a mock bow. Everyone clapped, some out of appreciation, others out of fear.

"Well, that's everyone. Thanks for showing, every-"

"What about Mr. Shadow?" Everyone turned to Asriel, who immediately regretted saying anything. "Mr. Shadow over here hasn't show off yet."

Sammy looked over at him, who gave a little shrug. He then turned to the dummy, going into some kind of battle stance. For the first time, people could see his hands, which were a sort of tanned white.

Purple tendrils wrapped around the dummy, pulling it forward. A magic fist formed around his hand, which he used to punch it skyward. On its way up, he used the purple scepter to shoot purple shards out. On the way down, he pulled out a pistol and shot it six times.

Once it landed. a purple dagger appeared. He made once slash, across the dummy's neck. The head fell clean off.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then there were cheers, claps louder then ever before.

Sammy quieted everyone down. "Thank you, mystery man. Now, it's getting late, so why don't we call it off here and let everyone go home. I'm sure everyone here is tired.

There was general assent. Sammy nodded, then let everyone file out of the room, following Daniel to the car. He and the gang got in, driving back to Ebott.

\---

Everyone was asleep. At least, everyone that Mr. Shadow knew. I mean, who would be up at midnight other then him? He slid out of bed, tiptoeing out of his room, which the monsters were kind enough to loan him.

Once he had made it outside, he started walking up the streets. It seemed that everyone in Ebott was also sleeping. The only lights on were the street lights, which illuminated the sidewalk every now and then.

Up the hill to the park. He had made this trip once before, and was just retaking his steps.

Snap! A branch broke on the dirt path up the mountain, the one Frisk said they took a long time ago.

Thump! The sound of his body landing on long dead yellow flowers echoed across the cavern.

Crunch! The sound of snow under his shoes as he passed puzzles long since solved.

Going down a path not often visited, the shadow eventually found himself at a door. Normally, it would be closed, making this a dead end, but now it was open. It had been open for a while now, too.

Inside, random items were strewn about. A white dog was sleeping. Most people would just pet its head, or say hello. But he knew its secrets.

"Hello, dog." It woke up, giving a cute little yawn. "I need your help with something."


	5. Secrets Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start growing to a climax as secrets finally come to light, and missions are becoming crystal clear.

It all started on a Tuesday.

Sammy woke up, changed out of his green pajamas into some jeans and a collared plaid shirt, and walked down the stairs to have breakfast. Frisk, Chara, Asriel and Toriel were already there to greet him.

"Hello, my child. Did you sleep well?"

"As well as an ambassador can." He opened a cabinet, grabbed a bowl, and poured himself some cereal and milk.

"Where's Sans?" Sammy had noticed his door open earlier, the room empty.

"Well, yesterday I heard him say he was going to Grillby's new bar on the surface. I guess he never got back."

Frisk snickered. "Well, when Papyrus finds out..."

Right on que, the tall skeleton rushed into the room. "HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN SANS?"

"He's probably still at Grillby's." Sammy watched Papyrus's face go from scared to disappointed.

"UGH, MY BROTHER IS SO LAZY! I'LL GO FETCH HIM RIGHT AWAY!" He ran out of the kitchen.

"Well, with Papyrus, at least Sans will never be bone-ly, am I right?"

Toriel and Frisk laughed, while Chara and Asriel pouted. "Very funny."

Sammy looked at the clock. "8 o' clock! We're going to be late for the council meeting!"

Honking could be heard outside. "C'mon kids, we got to go!"

"See ya, mom!" Chara and Asriel both said as they ran out the front door.

"Goodbye, my children! Stay safe!"

\---

The four rushed into city hall, taking the stairs up to their floor. Opening the wooden door, they found the others pacing nervously.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Thomas shook Sammy's shoulders. "Samantha isn't here!"

Now this was a big deal. Over the course of two months, Samantha had never missed a single meeting. She was always early, even. For her to be late was very strange.

"Well, I'm sure there's a good reason for it. Let's just wait a bit for her to show up." This seemed to calm the room down a bit. Everyone took a seat.

A few minutes passed. "Does anyone want to play Monopoly?" Thomas asked.

15 minutes. People were looking nervous again.

Half an hour. "Sammy, should we do something?" Adams asked.

"No, not yet." Sammy was getting worried too.

A full hour. "Alright, something's wrong," Sammy admitted.

"Then we should go look for her!" Thomas slammed his gloved fist on the table. Most people nodded.

Sammy sighed. It was probably useless, but he couldn't just ignore most of the council. This was a democracy, after all. "Alright, we'll split up and search the city. Teams will be Daniel and Thomas, Adams and Mr. Shadow over here, Asriel and Chara, and me and Frisk." Everyone found their partner.

"Alright, you all have your walkie talkies, so tell everyone if you find her or anything suspicious." They all left, ready for anything.

No one was ready for what came next.

\---

"Samantha! Samantha, where are you?" Adams called out while walking the streets of Vancouver. "Hey, are you going to help?"

The shadow man said nothing, like he had all day. It was already almost noon. All he did was follow.

As they rounded the corner, Adams realized that they had already searched this area. He pulled out his map.

"Ok, so we've already searched this area of the city. Let's move downtown, where Sammy and Frisk are." He looked around, only to find his partner had disappeared. "Hey, where did you go?"

He was nowhere to be found. There was no trace of him. Adams was getting scared. "Hey, if this is some kind of prank, this isn't funny!"

"Adams, I've found her!" That voice was unmistakable. So he had finally said something. "It's Samantha!"

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Adams ran down the street, and into a dark alley. He stopped, trying to see through the shadows.

"Hey, are you here? Where are you?"

"Right next to you."

A taser shot out from behind him. It coursed electricity through his whole body, locking up his whole system. He fell to his knees.

A hand grabbed the radio from his belt. He could hear static through the intercom. Then, the same voice as before rang out;

"This is Purple Shadow. Adams is missing."

\---

Thomas ran as fast as he could, trying to keep up with Daniel. "Wait... up..." he wheezed out.

"We got to hurry! Adams is in trouble, and we're the closest ones to him!" Around the corner. Across the street. Through a plaza.

"Help!" Thomas and Daniel both stopped, listening. "Frisk, Asriel, anyone! Help me!"

"It's coming from over here!" They both climbed over a fence into an alleyway.

Crunch! Thomas stepped back. On the ground was a broken walkie talkie.

"Thomas, look!" A few feet away was Adams. He was tied up, wrapped in ropes that looked like shadow.

"Adams!" They walked towards him, only to have him frantically shake his head. "What do you mea-"

More shadows flew out of the darkness, wrapping around Daniel. He tried to use his ropes of Patience to hold them back, but there were too many of them. He was losing.

"Run, Thomas," Daniel said in between heavy breaths. Thomas didn't hesitate, running back over the fence. He had to get help.

The last thing he was the shadows grab Daniel and pull him in.

\---

"Hurry Frisk, we need to support Thomas and Daniel!" Sammy said out of breath.

They had been searching downtown when the call had come in. Sammy had sent them ahead to scout the situation, but had told them to wait for backup. Now, however, they weren't responding. Sammy was worried that something had happened to them.

They were just rounding a bend when they saw Thomas running towards them.

"Thomas!" Sammy yelled.

"Run, Sammy! He's right behind us!" Thomas was looking like he had seen death itself.

"What do you mean?"

He stopped for a second, looking behind him. "DId... did I lose him?"

Sammy saw a shadowy tendril wrap around Thomas's leg. "Thomas, your foot!" he cried out.

He looked just in time to see it before it tightened, dragging him back.

"Help me!" he screamed as he was dragged into the nearby alley.

"Thomas!"

He was just about to run after him when someone emerged from the darkness of the alleyway. A shadowy figure. Behind him were three purple tendrils, holding Daniel, Adams, and Thomas hostage.

"Shadow Man! You bastard! Let them go!"

He tilted his head. "I would, but I need them for my... pet project. I'm sure you'll understand later." He looked around. "It's a shame, really. I was hoping to nab Asriel too before you found me, but it seems my time has run out."

He turned away from them. "I'd very much enjoy fighting you, but I have other things to do. I'll see you later, I suppose."

Sammy stomped the ground in frustration. Both he and Frisk were not aggressive fighters, and had no chance of stopping him from escaping. He needed someone to lay the heat on him. He needed...

A beam of light slashed across the road, blocking the Shadow Man's path. Sammy whipped his head just in time to see the blaster disappear into nothing.

"Sans!" Frisk said in joy. Sure enough, there was the skeleton, his left eye socket glowing blue.

"hey kids. sorry i'm late." He turned to face the enemy. "hey, i got a _bone_ to pick with you."

The hooded figure groaned. "Jeez, I though nothing gets under your _skin_."

He winked. "touche."

Then all hell broke loose.

\---

Sammy and Frisk could only watch as Sans and the backstabber battled it out. Gaster Blasters filled the street, causing quite a bit of collateral damage. Luckily, all of the civilians had evacuated long ago. Most people tended to do that when magic was shown in public.

Sans was being careful in making sure that the captives weren't hit by his bones and blasts, but it made it very difficult for him to strike his actual target. Sometimes the purple tendrils would move unexpectedly, forcing a blaster to disappear, or bones to shatter.

The shadow man didn't attack back, focusing on avoiding the mess around him. He even tried to keep his captives safe, moving his ropes whenever he thought they were in danger.

Then, Sammy noticed a pattern in the defender's dodges. He was trying to get away from Sans, to escape the street with his prisoners in tow. Sans must have realized this too, because he was able to guess one of his swipes and got a good blast with a Gaster Blaster.

He fell to his knees, obviously injured. The magic binds weakened.

"Damn, karma sucks. Isn't as bad as I thought, though." He pushed himself back up, reaching into his robes. "Guess I'll have to use plan B."

Out came a small metallic object. It almost looked like a...

Sammy was filled with dread. "Frisk, do you have your phone?"

"Yeah, it's right here-" Frisk's face went rigid. "My phone! It's gone!"

"Right here, buddy." It was just as Sammy feared. The phone turned into a jetpack, giving off a faint trail of smoke.

"See ya, suckers! ...and Sans." He flew off, heading towards Mt. Ebott, with Daniel, Adams, and Thomas in tow.

It was at that moment that Chara and Asriel finally arrived on the scene. "Hey, what happened?" Chara asked.

"looks like your shadowy friend just showed his true colors." Sans' eye sockets were dark now, looking off towards Mt. Ebott.

Chara's face was smug and outraged at the same time now. "I knew it! I told you all not to trust him, but no, you couldn't listen to me! And now, he's gone off to do who knows what!"

"Asriel, speak up. We can't hear you." Frisk seemed to be the only one that noticed Asriel trying to say something.

"Sammy, do you still have the notebook?"

He pulled out his brother's old weapon. "Yep, I took extra care of it."

"You should check it out. I saw our friend writing in it earlier. He was using color, so it should be easy to tell the difference."

Sammy flipped the pages, looking for anything other then dark graphite. Unfortunately, he stopped at the worst possible page.

"Guys.... you need to see this."

They all huddled around him, looking at the drawing of the familiar necklace and the colorful additions around it.

Seven differently colored souls, all feeding into the amulet. They all looked perfectly aligned, as if the new parts were meant to fit in with the old.

Above it all, there was a stick figure wearing the necklace, now colored a rainbow instead of white. He was ascending to the heavens above.

"Oh jeez."

"Oh no!"

"This is bad."

"can someone fill me in?"

Sammy knew. He knew what the betrayer wanted. "If I'm reading this correctly, if he gets his hands on Asriel's cool locket..."

Frisk finished his sentence. "He'll get the power of a god."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.... it's been a while, hasn't it?  
Truth be told, I have mixed feelings on this story. I still believe in the idea of it, what I thought of when I began is something I consider a good idea even now. My problems lie in how I executed that idea, from the beginning to now. Add on a fall-off of motivation and a busy time in my life, and unfortunately this story had to take a back seat.  
But I never forgot this, where my hobby for writing began. This story isn't over yet; I told myself I would finish it, and I don't intend to go back on that. My ability to write has gotten much better then when I started, and I believe I can revisit this soon. But first, I need to go back to the beginning, re-edit and re-write it from the bottom up, fix the many errors and mistakes in this storyline. The blueprints are good, but the foundations are shaky and I need to rebuild them from the start.  
Hopefully I can regain that spark I once had, and finish this story for everyone.


End file.
